CRIMINAL David Dixon smiled at the judge who jailed him after boasting he sold the “best heroin in town”.The 24-year-old is today starting a four-year prison term after he was busted supplying heroin to an undercover cop on SIX occasions last year.

IPSWICH: Shameless career criminal David Dixon smiled at the judge who jailed him after boasting he sold the “best heroin in town”.

The 24-year-old is today starting a four-year prison term after he was busted supplying heroin to an undercover cop on SIX occasions last year.

Following his arrest, he then committed a burglary at the house next to his bail hostel - but was snared after leaving his fingerprints on a cider bottle in the kitchen.

Since moving to Suffolk from London, he has yo-yoed in and out of the courts from the age of 13, his offences persistent and steadily becoming more serious.

Sentencing him, Judge Peter Thompson said: “You have got an appalling record. The probation service has tried everything they can to correct your behaviour. You have had every kind of penalty from the courts to try to rehabilitate you.”

Judge Thompson took offence when Dixon smiled back at him, later adding: “He is not helping himself.”

Ipswich Crown Court was told on Thursday how Dixon bragged to an undercover police officer that he had “the best heroin in town” while carrying out six deals between June 4 and 17 last year.

Dixon, of Cemetery Road, Ipswich, was arrested on July 25 and later bailed to a hostel in Norwich, where he was electronically tagged on curfew for 10 hours a day.

While there, he broke into the house next door and stole a PlayStation, 20 games and two christening bracelets worth �340.

Naomi Turner, prosecuting, said the bracelets had “huge sentimental value” to the owner, who had been out at the time. Dixon was caught after his fingerprints were found on a cider bottle left on a kitchen top.

Richard Wood, mitigating, said Dixon had committed the burglary to fund his journey to Ipswich Hospital to see his new born baby.

Dixon's second child was being cared for because of complications caused by the fact the mother was a heroin addict, Mr Wood said.

Dixon pleaded guilty to six counts of supplying heroin and one count of burglary. He was jailed for three years for the drugs offences and one year consecutive for the burglary.

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DAVID Dixon's shameful list of convictions in Suffolk started when he was just 13-years-old.

Residents in Nacton became all too familiar with his thuggish behaviour as he repeatedly terrorised the area.

A succession of anti-social behaviour orders did little to curtail his loutishness and his offending has progressively become more serious. On one occasion, Dixon threw a table at a magistrate in court.

He has previously been convicted of burglary, in 2001, then followed this up with various motoring misdemeanours, shoplifting offences and a robbery, which culminated with a 30-month term in a young offenders' institute in 2005.

In September 2003, when he was finally old enough to be named, The Evening Star ran a satirical front page wishing him a happy 18th birthday.

In February 2008, he was back shoplifting and has now notched up his first conviction for Class A drugs offences.